Cavitation refers to the formation and activity of bubbles (or cavities) in a liquid. When describing cavitation, “formation” generally refers to the creation of a new cavity or an expansion of a preexisting one to a size where macroscopic effects are observable. Cavitation is classifiable into four different types based on the manner in which it is produced. Hydrodynamic cavitation is produced by pressure variations in a flowing liquid due to a geometry of a system. Acoustic cavitation is produced by sound (e.g., pressure) waves in a liquid due to pressure variations. Optic cavitation is produced by photons of high intensity (e.g., laser) light rupturing in a liquid. Particle cavitation is produced by any other type of elementary particles (e.g., a proton rupturing in a liquid, as in a bubble chamber). Hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation occur due to tension in the liquid. Optic and particle cavitation result from a local deposition of energy. As the term is used herein, “cavitation” may refer to any of the above types.
When cavities encounter regions of pressure that are higher than the vapor pressure, the cavities collapse violently and emit pressure pulses. The pressure pulses may cause erosion of any solid in their vicinity. Such damage due to cavitation is common in hydraulic machinery, pumps, and fuel injectors, for example. In a flowing liquid, the location of the damage is not where the cavitation is generated, but instead is located at a collapse region that is downstream of the generation point. In a vibrating liquid, the area of damage may or may not be located where the cavitation is generated depending on whether or not a flow is superimposed on the vibrations as in, for example, a hydraulic pump. If the pressure pulses that act on a surface of a device component are of a sufficient magnitude and occur with frequency, removal of material from the surface can occur. Such damage may cause an eventual failure of the device.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0112115 A1 (the '115 publication) to Ramamoorthy et al. discloses a method and system for analyzing cavitation. According to the '115 publication, cavitation damage is predicted by comparing current liquid conditions in an existing real-world component with previous liquid conditions in which cavitation occurred. However, the method and system of the '115 publication do not simulate cavitation damage to a modeled component. Instead, a real-world component must be created and monitored in order to analyze possible cavitation damage to that component. Furthermore, the method and system of the '115 publication does not disclose simulating, using a computer-modeled component, whether voids or bubble collapses have a potential to cause damage to the computer-modeled component.
The disclosed embodiments are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.